1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to semiconductor processing, and more particularly to semiconductor chip sockets and methods of making the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many types of conventional semiconductor chips are formed as multiple dice on a semiconductor wafer. After the wafer is fully processed, a dicing operation is performed to separate one die from another. Some types of semiconductor die are subsequently mounted directly on a circuit board without the need for a package. However, other types, particularly processor chips, are destined for a package of one sort or another.
One conventional variant of a semiconductor chip package consists of a base substrate upon which a semiconductor chip or multiple chips are mounted. Some conventional designs also consist of a lid that is placed over the semiconductor chip and secured to the substrate by way of an adhesive. The package substrate of the conventional semiconductor chip package is designed to interface electrically with, for example, a socket that is connected to a printed circuit board of one type or another.
One conventional packaged chip board socket consists of a body that has a peripheral wall that defines an interior space in which a single size of a chip package substrate may be inserted. In other words, a particular socket design is tied to the geometry of a particular size of a chip package substrate. Semiconductor chips and their corresponding semiconductor chip package substrates come in a large variety of sizes. Accordingly, motherboard and other card manufacturers must make a correspondingly large variety of different sized sockets to accommodate the myriad of different chip package sizes. If a socket were capable of receiving multiple sized chip package substrates, then certain manufacturing efficiencies could be realized and the number of different types of sockets that card and board suppliers must design and make would be substantially reduced.
The present invention is directed to overcoming or reducing the effects of one or more of the foregoing disadvantages.